Atlantica
First Appearance: KINGDOM HEARTS (2002)
Origin: The Little Mermaid (1989)
Sora, Donald and Goofy's travels brings them to the strangest world they have encountered yet: A coral kingdom completely submerged underwater and dotted with deep ravines and trenches, but no land in sight. Thanks to Donald's magic however, the trio are able to prevent themselves from drowning by transforming into aquatic beings.
While they are getting used to the mechanics of swimming underwater, they bump into a mermaid named Ariel and her companions, Flounder and Sebastian. Ariel is the princess of Atlantica, an undersea citadel which has been far from peaceful due to the presence of the Heartless. Believing that Sora, Donald and Goofy, who are able to dispatch the swarms of Heartless with relative ease, to be the answer to her kingdom's problems, she brings them to meet her father, King Triton. Wary of outsides however, King Triton dismisses Sora's offer to help and denies the existence of Atlantica's Keyhole.
Though Ariel has been expressively forbidden to leave the palace, the headstrong and curious mermaid decides instead to help the trio find Atlantica's Keyhole. Their search through the sprawling undersea kingdom proves futile, until they find a Crystal Trident carefully hidden away in a sunken ship. Realizing that it resembles an engraving etched on the wall of Ariel's secret grotto, the party brings the Crystal Trident back to Atlantica. Unfortunately, King Triton chooses that moment to appear, and upon seeing the Crystal Trident, destroys it in a rage. Frustrated, Ariel leaves to find a quiet corner in which to sulk. With his daughter out of earshot, Triton confirms his suspicions that Sora, Donald and Goofy are from another world. Having heard of the notoriety of the Keyblade, Triton makes it clear that there is no room in his kingdom for Sora's Keyblade, and it is best for the party to leave before they disrupt the peace even further.
Meanwhile, Ariel is approached by Ursula, the Sea Witch, a member of Maleficent's inner circle who has been spying on Sora's and Ariel's exploits for some time. Playing on Ariel's desire to see other worlds, Ursula convinces the mermaid to help her sneak into Triton's palace in exchange for freedom to venture into the outside world. Once inside Triton's throne room, Ursula reveals her true motives. She snatches King Triton's trident, wounding the Sea King in the process, and intends to use it to find the Keyhole. However, even the best laid plans can be put to a screeching halt. Her lackeys, the moray eels Flotsam and Jetsam, announce that the Keyhole is not to be found in the palace, and the Sea Witch has no choice but to leave.
Sora, Donald and Goofy rush off to stop Ursula, with Ariel, seeking to repent for her mistake, tagging along. They eventually find Ursula's lair, nestled away in a volcanic region on the outskirts of the kingdom. By turning her magic against her, the party are able to destroy Flotsam and Jetsam, but the climatic showdown only occurs when Ursula taps into the power of the trident and grows to monstrous form. With the combined efforts of Sora, Donald, Goofy and Ariel, Ursula is defeated in a thunderous cloud of black smoke and the trident is restored to its rightful owner.
Once the Sea Witch and her dark influence is gone, the ocean waters become much calmer. King Triton acknowledges his mistake, admitting that chaining Ariel up with unreasonable rules has only made her yearning to see the outside worlds grow stronger. This yearning was probably what drew the Keyhole to her, conveniently located in her grotto all this time and which could have been revealed by the Crystal Trident, hence Triton's previous need to destroy it. With the Sea King's blessing, Sora is finally able to seal the Keyhole. Ariel forgives the trio for lying to her about their origins, but her dream is not diminished. She knows in her heart that she will someday be able to be part of the outside world.
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